is heading to the beriefing roo to speak about ukraine. we have got developing news out of cpac as chris christie takes the stage and promptly overwhemed by mitch mcconnell. on the s.a.t. shake-up, we have the tiger mom, amy chua, weighing in and stressing you out about what your kids scores are going to be. we're a perfect shoulder to cry on. ladies and gentlemen, this hour is so crazy, so exciting, hang on to your hats. that and lots more. we're going to start out with our headlines. >> christie will deliver the most anticipated speech of the conference. >> our ideas are better than their ideas and that's what we have to stand up for. >> major developments in the tense situation in ukraine. >> a dramatic confrontation, u.n. envoy cornered by pro

russian gunman. >> hillary clinton discussed comments comparing vladimir putin's move to the nazis. >> i had a lot of experience, not only with him but people like that, but in particular president putin. part of the reason it's so important to reach out to the latino community, the latino community is the most likely to be uninsured. >> there are big changes in store for students prepping for their s.a.t.s. >> many spend months and thousands of dollars preparing. >> it's like a game, the s.a.t., what you learn in preparation is strategies to play the game. >> more news out of d.c. city council just approved a measure to decriminalize possession of small amgts of marijuana. at least now congress will be passing something. that's a good thing. ♪ >> all right, we start with developing news right now.

we thought the big story at cpac was going to be chris christie but he was overshadowed by mitch mcconnell brandishing a gun. we'll go to that shortly. first we'll go to the white house where we're waiting remarks from president obama live. he's going to be speaking from the brief being room about ukraine and crisis unfolding there. this morning he signed an executive order on that subject. we've got nbc news white house correspondent kristen welker joins me from washington. kristen, thank you so much for taking the time to be with us. tell us what you expect from these comments about ukraine today? >> reporter: well, i think you're going to hear more tough language from president obama, urging russia to leave ukraine. of course, it comes on the heels as you announced, ronan of actions taken by the white house today. they announced visa restrictions as well as new sanctions. as you know, the house congress considering passing stiffer sanctions and the problem has

been they don't have the support of the international community, germany, france, in terms of enforcing even stiffer sanctions. a lot of people wondering how much teeth these actions really have without the support of germany and france. the administration has been trying to get them on board. but the white house watching the situation in ukraine quite closely. you heard yesterday i think the president trying to really deescalate what has been a mounting crisis there. attempting to give putin an off-ramp if you will by sending in international monitors. not clear that russia will go along with that in terms of what president obama is going to say specifically, the white house hasn't previewed his remarks. but it's not untypical for him to come out when there is an international crisis as the one that is unraveling right now in ukraine. of course, this is something that we saw during the situation in syria, for example, president

obama coming out not on a regular basis, but certainly more frequently than normal, to update the american people on what's happening behind the scenes. there have been a whole range of discussions at the highest levels, secretary kerry meeting with his russian counterpart as they try to do escalate the situation. >> of course the strategy you're talking about being contemplated on the hill with sanctions is part of a two-pronged approach where they've already passed through aid to the interim government in ukraine, is that correct? do you see more happening on that front, more assistance in addition to sanctions? >> i think that's a really important point. you're absolutely right. the administration has already announced a billion dollars in aid. they are going to have to increase those numbers. the ukrainian economy, of course, is unraveling and that's really at the root of this crisis. so they need to come up with more money, of course, russia had been guaranteeing about -- far more than a billion dollars.

they are going to have to up those figures in order to give ukraine what it needs to stabilize its economy. so i certainly think, ronan that's a part of it and that's why you're seeing members on the hill calling for swift action when it comes to getting more aid but also the second part of that imposing more sanctions. >> all right, thank you so much for that overview, kristen. we'll be coming back to that story and potentially back to you, kristen for updates. first, i want to go to chris van hollen, congressional insider to give us a take on how important this is on the hill. thank you for joining us today. i'm sorry the president is coming out we're going to take a listen. look here, he's beginning right now. >> our efforts to address the ongoing crisis in ukraine. since the russian intervention, we've been mobilizing the international community to condemn this violation of international law and to support the people and government of ukraine. this morning i signed an

executive order that authorizes sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the ukraine or for stealing the aassets of the ukrainian people. the state department also put in place restrictions on the travel of certain individuals and officials. these decisions continue our efforts to impose a cost on russia and those responsible for the situation in crimea. they also give us the flexibility to adjust our response going forward based on russia's actions. we took these steps in close coordination with our european allies and spoken to several of the closest friends around the world and i'm pleased our international unity is on display at this moment. we moved together to announce substantial assistance for the government in kiev and in brus sells, our allies took similar steps. i'm confident we're moving forward together.

united in our determination to oppose actions that violate international law and support the government and people of ukraine. that includes standing up for the principle of state sovereignty. the proposed referendum on the future of crimea would xri late the ukrainian constitution and violate international law. any discussion about the future of ukraine must include the legitimate government of ukraine. in 2014, we're well beyond the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders. while we take these steps, i want to be clear that there's also a way to resolve this crisis that respects the interests of the russian federation as well as the ukrainian people. let international monitors into all of ukraine, including crimea, to ensure the rights of all ukrainians are being respected including ethnic russians. begin consultations between the

government of russia and ukraine with the participation of the international community. russia would maintain its basing rights in crimea, provided it abides by his agreements and respects ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. and the world should support the people of ukraine as they move to elections in may. that's the path of deescalation and secretary kerry is engaged in discussions with all of the relevant parties, including russia and ukraine to pursue that path. but, if this violation of international law continues the resolve of the united states and allies and international communities will remain firm. we've taken steps to reaffirm our commitment to the democracy of our allies in eastern europe and support the people of ukraine. one last point, there's been a lot of talk in congress about these issues today once again i'm calling on congress to follow up on these words with

action. specifically, to support the imf's capacity to lend resources to ukraine and provide american assistance for the ukrainian government so they can weather this storm and stabilize their economy and make needed reforms and deliver for their people all of which will provide a smoother pathway for elections that have already been scheduled in may. today the world can see that the united states is united with our allies and partners in upholding international law and pursuing a just outcome that advances global security and future that the ukrainian people deserve. that's what we're going to continue to do in the days to come until we have seen a resolution to this crisis. thanks very much and jay and ben and others will be happy to take your questions. >> that is the president at the white house briefing room talking with reporters about the

situation in ukraine. let's bring in kristen welker, our white house correspondent. kristen, give us an overview of the main points the president just made. he talked about sanctions and travel restrictions as we anticipated he urged more assistance. how much assistance is he going to need from congress on that? >> well, i think that they are going to need several billion dollars more, as much as $35 billion more ronan, although we haven't heard a specific number being -- coming out of congress at this point. l tohis point. draw you to, president obama says the referendum in crimea would violate international law. any decision on crimea should include ukrainian government. that referendum is essentially to join russia, to join crimea with russia. and so i think that is why you saw president obama come out this afternoon to denounce that action. there's going to be a vote on that in a few weeks. and i think that there was some

real concern that that referendum really escalated the tensions and escalated the situation that we're seeing in ukraine. so president obama reiterating the actions of the u.s. took earlier today, the visa restrictions and new sanctions but also a stern warning to crimea, not to hold this vote to join with russia. >> all right, thank you so much, kristen for that overview. we'll be coming back to you as the story develops. but we have right now congressman chris van hollen. i appreciate you joining us this afternoon. tell us, when you see that comment from the president about the potential violation of international law at stake here, do you think this could lead to more action from the united states than just sanctions and aid? >> ronan, first of all it's good to be with you and congratulations on your new show. >> thank you. >> you obviously came at the turbulent time in foreign policy. the president pursued this two track strategy, number one,

russia has to pay an economic and diplomatic price for its actions. and that's where the sanctions come in. then on the other hand, trying to support the legitimate government in kiev through loan guarantees have congress in the house will be acting on today and other measures. but as the president indicated, there's this risk that this call for a referendum in the crimea could escalate the situation in a time when we're trying to deescalate the situation and allow the crimean people to make decisions in the upcoming elections. >> the last time the president was brandishing this type of language was in syria, which was viewed by many as a misfire when there was proposed military intervention and then that fizzled. do you think that there's any appetite for any intervention in this case beyond the kinds of diplomatic and economic measures we're talking about? >> i don't think there's any appetite for military

intervention. i think that would be wrong headed and not the approach that we should be taking. i would dispute those who suggest that what happened in syria somehow em boldened putin. if you look at what the president said, he said in order to get rid of syria's chemical weapons stockpile, we will use military force. it turned out that assad and russians decided it was in their interest to get rid of those chemical weapons to avoid the use of force. the president accomplished his objective in the situation of syria. the president referred to the fact there's been a lot of talk on capitol hill and he was being diplomatic. there's been a lot of hot air from a lot of people. i've heard a whole lot of people make outrageous statements with respect to what caused putin to do this, suggesting that the president's previous foreign policy was to blame.

i think if you look at 2008, when russia went into the state of georgia, that had been preceded by a huge buildup in our defense budget and of course president bush had invaded iraq. so the notion that somehow wif we have a weak foreign policy that emboldens putin, is a lot of hot air. i was pleased to see bob gates the other day, a republican himself, call upon republicans to really do what we should be doing, speaking with one voice and congress can help in that area by quickly moving on the economic aid, including the imf piece, which the president mentioned which unfortunately is not in the house package that will be voted on today. >> thank you, congressman van holl hollen. key parts of the what the president is proposing will require mobilization on the part of congress. we'll watch your momenvements o

that. >> up next, remember that other story unfolding today domestically, governor christie speaking at today's cpac meeting and president's new push to get hispanics to sign up for health care. and talking about why she lashed out at the president last week getting a lot of press. finally, we've got heroes and zeros, fair warning, our zero today may make you feel a little violated. don't miss it. ...so you say men are superior drivers? yeah? then how'd i get this... [ voice of dennis ] ...safe driving bonus check? every six months without an accident, allstate sends a check. silence. are you in good hands? has begun. so, it's time to expect more. more space. ♪ more leading-edge technology.

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visit your local branch or citi.com/easierbanking to learn more. welcome back. foreign policy news unfolding at the fast rate today. john kerry as you see there is speaking right now in rome. we're going to be dipping in and out of those comments as news worthy things come out of it.

he may well be following up on the president's comments that we just got out of covering on ukraine promising tougher sanctions and more economic aid. we'll keep you posted. but first, back here at home, developing news right now. here today, we thought the big story today at cpac, would be chris christie taking center stage and while that is indeed a big deal and will be all over it in just a few seconds, things started out with another unexpected bang. your eyes aren't deceiving you that's senator mitch mcconnell, the minority leader of the united states senate brandishing a gun on stage and handed it over to tom coburn. other headlines, chris christie, who was snubbed last year at this conference, today had a star speaking spot. the governor, who has been plagued by the bridgegate scandal wrapped up his address

in the last hour. take a listen. >> we're about making government work. leadership is not about standing on the sidelines and spitballing and that's all we see, all across washington, d.c. it's not what we see in the states. >> along with mitch mcconnell and christie, this year's bunch includes a slew of 2016 hopefuls and young guns and controversial conservatives and few tea party politicos. i'm going to suggest a radical agenda to you, hope and change. >> hope and change. hope and change. wondering what else to watch for here is our viewing guide here at rfd. will the gop's divide be on display? listen to this. >> big massive civil war, it's tea party versus establishment libertarians versus social conservative and infighting and

conflict and back biting, discord. look, i'm irish, that's my idea of a family reunion. >> i know how that feels. another question worth watching for, which republicans are getting rebuffed by their party mates this year? john boehner didn't even get a chance to rsvp. who will win the coveted cpac strong poll, will it be paul, rand, ron, ru. to dig deeper into the hits, is shawn spicer communications director for the republican national committee. thank you so much for joining us here today. >> you bet. >> so we got to start with mitch mcconnell and the gun. his democratic opponents in kentucky just responded with this tweet, quote, someone would tell team mitch that's not the way to hold a gun, kentucky women do it better. one would think when he watched on stage with that prop he was trying to make a statement about

the second amendment but remarks didn't reflect that at all. what statement was he making there? >> he wasn't making a statement or anything. it was an award. he was presenting an award by the national rifle association to senator coburn for a lifelong achievement award for service to both the senate and second amendment. that's it. i appreciate the fact everyone is trying to make this more than it is. he was giving an award. that's it. >> it was relevant because the topic of the award was that track record that coburn has on the second amendment? >> well, most republicans have, we're proud supporters of the second amendment. i don't -- i appreciate the fact that folks on left are trying to make something of this but we as republicans and conservatives believe strongly in the second amendment and proud of it. >> let's turn to christie. i new poll showed the scandal has in fact hurt his reputation, 3 in 10 wouldn't vote for him if he ran for president at this

point. how do you think his message today was received in that community? >> well, look, at the rnc, we're not here to pick and choose or handy cap the race. the irony of this, when you look at chris christie's approval rating in new jersey, sure, it's probably taken a hit, anyone would if they were piled on by the media to the extent he has. his approval rating in new jersey, despite getting hit daily is still above most democratic governors in this country. the irony is for all of the hey that the dems want to make about the approval rating, he still trumps most of their guys. it's governors like scott walker and john kasich and others are getting things done and their constituents look at them as problem solvers and people that get it done. that's what's happening generally speaking on the republican side, coming up with solutions for america's problems trying to move the ball forward and voters generally i think respond to that. >> i want to ask about what seemed to me to be split

messaging. we heard congressman paul say there's no gop divide but here was senator ted cruz this morning. take a listen to him. >> all of us remember president dole. and president mccain and president romney. look, those are good men, they are decent men, but when you don't stand and draw a clear distinction, when you don't stand for principle, democrats celebrate. >> all right, very quickly, because we've got breaking news on the foreign policy side. i did want to hear from you, how do you put forward a show of unity when speakers emphasize a divide so often? >> you saw paul ryan talk about the fact we need to unite and come together and christie talked about that and senator rubio talked about that. what we've got to do is agree on central principles and agree all of these candidates would be better than hillary clinton. and frankly, to have a little fun with you, if hillary clinton had a resume map like you've

got, i think these days it would say benghazi on one side of her head and reset -- failed reset russia policy on the other. i think the democrats would like to focus on our guys but they have major, major problems of their own heading into 2016 and frankly 2014 in terms of the 2014 vulnerable senators up having to defend these policies. >> i'd be interested to see the rnc world cloud myself. >> we'll make one. >> thank you so much for joining me today. >> we'll talk about it more. before we get back to cpac news, we're going to go to the latest news out of rome where john kerry is speaking right now. take a listen to what he's saying now. >> we've been in very close touch all day with our european counterparts, both those who were here in rome as well as by telephone for those who were in brussels and we agreed that over

the course of the next hour, next days, there is an imperative to try to move quickly in order to prevent mistake or misinterpretation or any other measures that might preclude our opportunity to be able to find the political solution that we believe is the best way to proceed. the ukrainian people we are convinced beyond any doubt whatsoever want nothing more than the right to determine their own future. and they want to be able to live freely and in a safe and prosperous country that they can make the choices other people make in other countries around the world. they have the international community's full support and while we reserve the right to take steps beyond those things that were announced today, we want president putin and russia and everyone to understand our

preference is to get back to a normality and get back to a place where the rights of the people of ukraine will be respected and territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation will be respected. the united states will continue to stand with ukrainian people as will our allies and friends in the european community and elsewhere in order to stand up for the values that we all believe in our fellow -- that define our fellow democracies. thank you very much, and i look forward to the opportunity to take a couple of questions. >> first question is from elise of cnn. >> thank you, mr. secretary, you said the ukrainian people have the right to determine their own future, does that include the people of crimea? don't they have the right to determine their own future? are there any conditions in which the u.s. might accept a

referendum as part of the solution? on your meeting with foreign minister lavrov, minister fab yus said he's forming this contact group and the russians might agree. did you talk about this with the minister and do you see this as a useful mechanism that might happen in the coming days? i'm wondering if you talked to him about the fact that he told you last week that the exercises that the russians were doing had nothing to do with ukraine. we now know that that was a pretext to mask the russian intervention -- >> what was the first part of that question, i'm sorry? >> we know what -- >> we know that this exercise did have a lot to do with ukraine and perhaps it was a pretext for russia to go into the crimea. i'm just wondering, you've invested a lot in your relationship with minister lavrov, i'm wondering if you feel misled by him and whether you spoke with him about that? >> all right, we're going to be

carrying updates, including the response to that question but for now we are going to go to break briefly. when we come back, we'll go to our call to action. remember, we have been examining the state of voting rights in this country and actually i think an update -- we have time to go to it right now. we asked to tell us what if any troubles you've had casting your ballot. the important fundamental right to vote in the way in which it's changing around the world. fifi tweeted her biggest challenge is the voter i.d. law in texas because she has high fenated last name. she's not alone. a democratic running for lieutenant governor in texas, primaries were held this very week. i sat down with her and her team on the ground in texas and she told me about her own struggles on this issue. do we have sound of her talking about that right now? we do. take a listen. >> when i registered to vote, i

wasn't married so it says lati smt a rosa san miguel. texas law dictated you don't take off a name but add on your married name. from 1977 until 2013, i was voting with a registration that said latisa rosa san miguel van depoout, but my driver's license is only van da put. it wasn't exactly the same. i had to sign an affidavit that basically said i am who i am. this happened to a lot of women. do we carry our marriage certificates around with us? or divorce decrees? no. >> is there any legitimate argument that this cuts fraud? >> no. when voter i.d. is supposed to take care of voter impersonation. we got three cases in the millions and millions of votes

that have been cast, it was a way to make it more difficult for seniors and college students and people with disabilities ar for women to exercise their right to vote. >> so how did this voter i.d. rule come about that's causing all of these problems from people responding and for candidates in many of these races? a little background. last year the supreme court overturned section 5 of 1965's voting rights act which required certain states and localities in the south that had a history of discrimination get federal approval for any election changes. and so as much june 2013, michigan had the toughest voting laws in the country. now harsh regulations on photo i.d.s and same day registration have swept the south, affecting many poor and minority voters. let's turn to ari melber. he's lgs the host of "the cycle"

right here on msnbc at 3:00 p.m. ari, this texas primary was one of the first races in the wake of shelby, the supreme court decision and we saw significant changes on the ground as a result of the do you think this is a preview of things to come around the country as we see this decision unfolding? >> what we learned on tuesday, if you have a low turnout election with activist voter i.d. doesn't show up as a problem directly huge at the polls. but as your reporting was showing, it raised the question of who's not coming out to the polls. this is challenging the voter i.d. law that was reinstated after the supreme court opinion. there will be a trial on that in september. what do we know? about 800,000 people according to the plaintiffs in that case have their right to vote affected because of the voter i.d. requirement. turnout in dallas county this week, we know is about 13%. it's low turnout election, a lot of people aren't showing up and a lot of those are the type of people that might not have i.d. in the first place. >> a lot of people driving these

kinds of new regulations and crackdowns are in the republican party, but it's also true that democrats have been behind their share of shady practices and strategic gerrymandering. do you think when democrats rail against republicans on this issue there's a little bit of speaking both sides of the mouth? >> when i talked to republican they feel strongly, particularly those in congress. they say, look, both sides have gotten into the game of gaming elections. gerrymandering being a classic example. they resent the idea any restriction comes up it's put in the racial lens of them cracking down on people based on race. having said that, the problem for republicans in states like texas, pennsylvania, indiana, there's a pattern of restrictions that restrict the right to vote based often on things like do you have money? do you have a voter i.d.? do you like to go to polls on

sunday? . it looks bad and for the republicans one sided in that respect. the proposal that is bipartisan would create a national trigger so you would have the preclearance but it wouldn't focus on the south but wherever you find discrimination. >> all right, some solutions potentially evolving both on the hill and out of doj. we may turn to you again as this develops. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> you can catch ari on "the cycle" at 3:00 p.m. we appreciate him being here. tomorrow, we're going to bring you another angle on state of vote gs laws in america during our call to action segment. stay tuned for that and keep sending us your tweets and facebook messages and e-mails telling us what your biggest challenge is when it comes to voting in america. >> the test that made you sweat in high school is getting a big makeover for first time since 2005. we talked to the tiger mom about

those changes and her controversial new book garnering accusations of racism. tomorrow on the show, my interview with chelsea handler. talks about her controversial oscar tweets and brings on the funny. >> when do you decide to cut the laughs and take a stand on something seriously? >> when i come to msnbc. >> this is the least funny thing you've done ever. we'll work on it. we'll work up to the laughs. [ garner ] there's a lot of beautiful makeup out there, but one is so clever that your skin looks better even after you take it off. neutrogena healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% saw improved skin. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics. we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness if you qualify, and new car replacement,

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to make it more practical. the new s.a.t. will go high tech by 2016 and be available in both paper and digital forms. and it's returning to a score scale of 1600, my old stomping grounds and the essay portion will be optional. current penalty for wrong answers will be removed. good news for us who made every bubble c. joining us to discuss, two big voices on parenting, amy chua and co-authors of "the triple package." she is more than a tiger mom. we'll get to the book in a second. first i want to ask about the big shake-up in test scores. you have been accused of being an intense parent, shall we say, test scores were a big part of that. when you look at these new

perimeters of the test, do you think they are a positive thing for the experience kids have with this? >> i think -- are incredibly positive. one strand of this is trying to make the test prep materials more accessible to lots of different people.

i worry though that you know, just offering the test prep is a tiny piece of the problem because so much of this is what you do with that. right now they are already free test prep classes and the question is how do you get kids to be motivated. how do you get them to want to study hard. >> you talk about race explicitly. but you actually weigh in on race in the context of this very issue of the s.a.t.s, overall asian americans are above average, including a 63-point edge above whites. when you look at the new test perimeters, do you think asians are going to do better than whites or much, much better than whites? >> asian americans and the rest of the country, it's not genetic and biological. it's something going on in the households and families of those first and second generation asian kids.

study habits are different and outlook is different. that's what we wrote our book about and that's accessible to anybody. >> that's an important point when you talk about the controversy. you are not talking about race per se, you're talking about culture and about immigrant community and how that informs work ethic and write about three qualities, the triple package, i believe it's a drive to succeed, insecurity, tell us what comes out on top with these groups? what is the group that succeeds most and which are most important of these qualities you highlight? >> i see this book as being about how to level the cultural

playing field. we know that the economic playing field is unlevel. but certain cultures too justin still certain behaviors and mindsets in their children that allow their kids to do better in school. so this -- our idea is let's make -- let's take -- open up the curtain. what are the families saying? the idea of the triple package is that certain qualities make people very driven, like they light a fire. simultaneously, making people feel they are exceptional and you need to prove yourself. you're not there yet. that's the opposite of being entitled, like you're incredible, awesome, but let's see a little something. >> when you say some groups have

those qualities and others don't, what do you say to those that call that racist? >> the whole point of the book is that groups rise and fall. at this point in time, mormones are hitting it out of the park, so overrepresented at the top schools and south asians, persian americans, nigerian americans and the groups successful in ten years will be different. but it's very much a kind of rise and fall situation. so our idea is let's figure out what these behaviors are. by the way, individuals of any background can have them at all. >> how do you maximize them?

>> yeah. >> parents everywhere will be stressing out watching this. the two of your children, i have met them are extraordinary examples of if it's intense parenting, it's intense parenting gone right. we'll come back to you as the controversy unfolds. thank both of you so much. >> thanks, ronan, love the show. >> and this s.a.t. discussion leads us to our battle of the day today. we want to know if you think it's appropriate for employees to weigh s.a.t. scores, you can tell us your thoughts through two hash tags, xt should businesses use that as criteria well into people's lives as they so often do. my name is jenny, and i quit smoking with chantix. before chantix, i tried to quit probably about five times. it was different than the other times i tried to quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix varenicline is proven to help people quit smoking. it's a non-nicotine pill. chantix reduced my urge to smoke. that helped me quit smoking. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking, or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix, and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor

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this time consumer wuss have an extra two full years to renew health plans that don't meet the new obama care standards. the white house is making a final push to get more latinos enrolled before the march 31st

deadline signing up. the president made his pitch at a town hall hosted by spanish language tv networks. take a listen. >> part of the reason that it's so important for us to reach out to the latino community is the latino community is the most likely to be uninsured. one out of four of the uninsured are latino. >> all right. a community hit especially hard, 10.2 million latinos are eligible for health coverage and uninsured, more than half of those uninsured live in california or texas. joining me now is janet meguilla, president of the largest hispanic advocacy organization in the united states. thank you so much for being here, janet. >> thank you, ronan. it's a pleasure. >> in the final weeks before the march 31st deadline, the administration seems to be pulling out the stops to insure latinos, but there have been stumbles -- the spanish version of the website didn't launch until september.

there's been a delay verifying documents. >> there's been a few challenges. and i do think they relate to both health literacy. a lot of folks aren't used to the terminology, introducing them to health insurance is a big factor, and as the president stated, there are at least a third -- latinos and hispanics represent a third of the uninsured in this country. so there's a heavy education lift. there's technology challenges, as we've heard before. but i also think there's some questions around immigration reform and whether some individuals in certain families qualify, and maybe others don't, and whether they put those folks in jeopardy. we've had a lot of work to do. nclr has been the leading hispanic organization working with our network of community-based organizations that are trusted partners in these communities to help them sign up, because we understand how important it is for them to have access to this health

insurance and to the affordable care act. >> california is the state with the largest single number of uninsured latinos. california state senator, califa state senator lara proposed legislation that would offer inexpensive health insurance to undocumented immigrants not covered under the affordable care act as of now. how important is this issue of covering undocumented workers to the latino american community? >> well, i think what's really important is that we try to cover as many people as possible. for us, one of the prevailing arguments for having a comprehensive solution on health reform has been the more people you include, there are actually benefits for everyone. you're able to give them access to prevention services and that helps save the cost for everyone down the road. so for us, it's important to make sure that folks have some type of access to health care as a country. i think it's an important

philosophy that we embrace, no one should be denied care who needs it. obviously we know we have to work hard to make sure that whether it's through the health insurance exchanges or medicaid or perhaps even through community health centers, we've got to find ways for folks to have access to care. >> your group has staunchly defended the white house on immigration issues. up until recently you made a change in tone. you called the president deporter in chief. here's how he responded. take a listen. >> since i ran for president, i've been pushing for comprehensive immigration reform and continue to push for comprehensive immigration reform. i'm the champion in chief of presencive immigration reform. >> we're almost out of time, but your quick reaction to that rebuttal? >> i just think we're about to hit a landmark number of 2

million individuals deported in this country and the president will be -- the president who has deported most in the history of the united states. for that's a staggering number and causing great pain and devastation, not just in our families but in communities across the country. we've got to make sure that that information is out there. but i was making a broader point to speaker boehner who said that the president couldn't be trusted to enforce our laws. well, the very point we have at least 2 million people now have been deported and that is the highest number in history, really negates that point. we need house republicans to act. they are purposely and intentionally delaying reform because they know the deportations are occurring. we're holding the house republicans accountable and president accountable because we see the devastation and it's staggering. >> those numbers are accurate. >> thank you so much, the

national council, we appreciate your joining us. >> we'll be right back. before larry instantly transferred money from his bank of america savings account to his merrill edge retirement account. before he opened his first hot chocolate stand calling winter an "underserved season". and before he quit his friend's leaf-raking business for "not offering a 401k." larry knew the importance of preparing for retirement. that's why when the time came he counted on merrill edge to streamline his investing and help him plan for the road ahead. that's the power of streamlined connections. that's merrill edge and bank of america.

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what actu . all right, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us today. it is that time, we're going to get the final results of today's battle of the day. we asked, is it appropriate for employers to rely on s.a.t. scores, and here is where we landed. just 12% said rfd use s.a.t. and 88% said no s.a.t. a lot of people out there would rather their scores not follow them around. i'm with you. thank you all for weighing in. that wraps us up for today's edition of "ronan farrow daily." thank you for joining. next up is the wonderful time of the day, joy reid's "reid report." check your credit score, check your credit report at experian.com.

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welcome to "the reid report." i'm joy reid. we have a packed show. we're heading to d.c. to check on the big conservative confab cpac, cruz, christie, ryan all appearing. and the gun debate gets going, in florida and on facebook of all places. all that and more coming up. but we start with breaking news. moments ago, president obama stepped into press briefing -- into the press briefing room at the white house to talk about the unfolding events in ukraine. while congress quickly works on an aid package today. and while the president today authorized sanctions against russia, crimea's parliament voted unanimously to join the russian federation. with the referendum on the decision expected in the next 10 days. something president obama violates international law. >> the proposed referendum on crimea